C26 A Slap

When Su Ling arrived at the Martial Arts Training Field, he was immediately met with a barrage of peculiar stares. In Qingyang City, everyone knew Su Ling was considered worthless. Lin Feng, the Lin Family's Second Young Master, had publicly challenged Su Ling several times, and Su Ling hadn't even mustered a peep in response.

This field, a place where life and death duels were commonplace, was somewhere Su Ling had never set foot in before. So, when he appeared, the onlookers were taken aback, wondering if he had lost his way. Could such a failure really dare to enter the Martial Arts Training Field?

"Am I seeing things? That guy who just walked into the Martial Arts Training Field is Su Ling, the Su Family's notorious failure? He's sixteen and only at the fourth level of Body Refinement? It's unbelievable he'd have the nerve to show up here."

"Poor Su Ling is in for it now! Someone's already gone to fetch Lin Feng. Lin Feng's been itching to take Su Ling down. Before, with Su Ling too scared to step foot in here, Lin Feng had no chance for a death match. But now? Once Lin Feng arrives, he'll just toss Su Ling onto the stage and force the confrontation. It's doubtful Su Ling will leave the Martial Arts Training Field alive."

"Who could hate Su Ling so much they'd want him dead?"

"Ha, in Qingyang City, the list of people wanting Su Ling dead is a mile long. He never dared enter the Martial Arts Training Field before, fearing it might be his end. But now, he's here. Maybe he's resigned himself to his fate."

As Su Ling entered the field, he was greeted with jeers and mocking glances, a stark contrast to his past life. Back then, he was a Peak of Ninth Grade alchemist, revered and respected wherever he went. Now, reduced to an object of scorn due to his lack of strength, Su Ling was seen as nothing more than trash, worthless in the eyes of others.

"This guy's past life was truly pitiful. To think the esteemed young master of the Su Family could be scorned even by his own household's servants, and now, he faces contempt at every turn. For someone like him, living seems like nothing more than a waste of air."

With a resigned shake of his head, Su Ling finally understood how pitiful his former self must have seemed to others.

But now that he had completely taken over the mantle of the previous Su Ling, he was determined not to be scorned and looked down upon as before.

"The dignity you lost, I will reclaim for you!"

Determination glinted in Su Ling's eyes as he puffed out his chest and his expression grew stern. He cast a cool gaze over the onlookers and said indifferently, "What's the matter? Do I rub you the wrong way?"

"Hmm?"

Su Ling's challenge caught everyone in the Martial Arts Training Field off guard, surprise flickering in their eyes.

Then, a burst of laughter broke out. One man, sneering at Su Ling, jeered, "This good-for-nothing isn't just a waste; he's a fool too. No wonder Lu Xueyao called off their engagement! But it makes sense—someone like Su Ling is nowhere near worthy of her."

"What? Lu Xueyao and Su Ling's engagement is off?"

"You might not know, but Lu Xueyao has been admitted to the Holy School. Rumor has it her Soul Force reached the fourth grade just days ago. Keep in mind, she's only sixteen—her potential is boundless. With Su Ling's pathetic state, what right does he have to be engaged to her?"

The crowd at the Martial Arts Training Field inhaled sharply upon hearing of Lu Xueyao's fourth-grade Soul Force. A sixteen-year-old girl with such prowess in Soul Force was nothing short of a prodigy in Alchemy.

Amidst the surrounding jeers and taunts, Su Ling merely offered a slight, dismissive smile. He had no interest in engaging with such trivialities.

After casting a contemptuous glance at his detractor, Su Ling made his way toward the central platform of the Martial Arts Training Field. But before he could advance three steps, he was blocked by someone.

"You fool, you waste, you piece of trash," the man who had just ridiculed Su Ling spat out, towering over him with his massive arms crossed. "You had the nerve to look at me that way. Now, get on your knees and apologize!"

The man's cold stare bore into Su Ling as he continued, "Otherwise, I'll make you regret not groveling for mercy."

"Finished talking?"

Su Ling cast a casual glance at the stranger, wondering where this random passerby had come from. He had never seen the man in Qingyang City before and had no interest in engaging with someone who clearly had too much time on their hands.

"Kneel down! Didn't you hear me? I said kneel and apologize!"

The man, Cai Hu, was the son of a second-tier family in Qingyang City, the Cai family. Although the Cai family's influence didn't match the Su family's, it didn't mean Cai Hu's strength was any less than Su Ling's.

Consider this: at just fifteen, Cai Hu had already achieved the Sixth Level of Body Refinement Stage, showcasing impressive martial arts talent.

In contrast, Su Ling, at sixteen, with his martial arts cultivation only at the Fourth Body Refinement Layer, was hardly a concern for Cai Hu.

This was precisely why Cai Hu found Su Ling's dismissive look unbearable. How dare someone he considered worthless scorn him? He was determined to teach Su Ling a lesson, to show him why the flowers bloomed so brightly, to ensure that Su Ling would kneel and plead for mercy whenever they crossed paths in the future.

"If you're done, then get out of my way! I've got things to do."

Irritation flickered in Su Ling's eyes. He had no patience left for Cai Hu's bluster. With a sudden lift of his head and a fierce glare, Su Ling warned, "If you don't leave now, you'll regret it."

"Rude? Ha! Surely, I must have misheard you."

Cai Hu burst into laughter as if he'd heard the world's greatest joke. Then his face turned steely, his gaze icy as he locked eyes with Su Ling and said deliberately, "I'm standing right here. I'd love to see how you plan to make me regret it."

"Smack!"

In an instant, as Cai Hu's words hung in the air, a crisp slap echoed across his cheek.

"What just... what just happened?"

"Who knows?"

The onlookers were stunned, unable to comprehend how that slap had landed so suddenly on Cai Hu's face.

Did Cai Hu just receive a slap?

But who was it that struck him?

Su Ling?

No way! Absolutely not! Su Ling was obviously standing still the whole time, his hands didn't make a single move.

Besides, we're talking about Cai Hu here, with the strength of the Sixth Level of Body Refinement Stage. Unless Su Ling had lost his mind, there's no way he would engage Cai Hu. No matter how much Cai Hu insulted him, or even if he trampled Su Ling underfoot, he wouldn't dare fight back.